Hue Jackson highlights

Highlights from Saturday’s sessions with coach Hue Jackson on the final day of the draft:

If any potential picks got away

“There’s always a couple guys you go, wow, you know, that you might’ve wished would have fell, or right when you’re picking that you could have picked. But I am extremely happy with every guy that we were able to put on our football team. As I said yesterday, you have a process, you have a board. And I truly believe that you play true to your board. If a guy goes off that you wanted, that’s why you evaluate all these guys. You take the next guy. You take the next guy that’s on your board, based on your evaluation and your judgment, and that’s what we were able to do, and that’s what we got done.”

Ausberry’s position _ tight end or wide receiver

“He’s a really unique athlete. Because guy’s over 6-3, he’s 240-plus pounds, runs really fast, 4.56, can catch. We’re gonna find out exactly what we need to do with him. We’re gonna bring him in here as a receiver. But obviously this guy has room for growth. I mean, this guy could get up to 255, 260 pounds. And who knows, he might be an unbelievable tight end. But to me, those are the kind of guys you find in the seventh round, who have that potential, who has the measurables, the size, the speed combination, and now it’s just a matter of us coaching this young man and seeing what he can be.”

Addressing needs on offensive line, secondary

“I think they were needs, based on where we were, based on some uncertainty about what’s going on in the league right now. And I think we addressed them as well as we could. I mean, we are putting two very strong, bid-bodied offensive linemen on our football team who love to play the game. We’ve addressed our secondary concerns, if there were any, with two players that are extremely gifted and talented, that are big, long guys who can really run. So there’s no question, I think we came into this with some thoughts that we wanted… as I told you guys, I think is a very talented team. I didn’t think we had a ton of holes to fill. But there were some things that we needed to get done, and we were able to get those things done.”

Concern of Richard Gordon’s meager receiving stats

“Some tight ends in college, they don’t get the ball very much. Because when you play — probably at the University of Miami, they throw the ball down the field to some of those big, tall receivers that can really run, or the small guys that can run, so they keep those guys in for protection. But when you get to evaluate the tape, you know, the workout tape, the game tape, and you see a guy can catch, can make plays, but also block at the point of attack, it makes that guy very enticing. And he was a tremendous pick for us. I’m very excited about him, because he has nothing but upside.’’

How to interpret only corners being chosen for the defense

“I expect us to be one of the best defenses in football. And I’m not just saying that. I believe that. We have some tremendous, tremendous players over there. Cornerback here for the Oakland Raiders will always be a position that we address. We love guys who can cover, we love guys who can run, we love guys who are athletes, who can play several different spots back there in the secondary, but I think the message that’s sent is that we’re pretty solid over there on that side of the football. I feel that way. I think our staff, our organization feels that way, but we wanted to make sure that we continued to grow in the secondary. I don’t think you can ever have enough good corners, you know, guys who can cover different types of offenses as they put out there, and we were able to address that.’’

Guidelines for contacting undrafted rookie free agents

“(No contact). That is still being determined by the league. And again, until that rule is known, there’s nothing we can do. When they say the draft is over, everything is over, and that’s what every team in this league has to do at this point in time. . . . Right now, there will be no phone calls. Right now, when the league says, ‘Stop shop,’ we’re stopping shop.

Denarius Moore in contrast to receivers already on roster

“Well, he runs 4.42, he’s tall, he makes plays, he’s very athletic. I see him as a guy who is maybe a little different than some of the guys we have because this guy is different in that he is coming from Tennessee, from the SEC, which I think is a very good school and he’s proven that he can make plays from anywhere on the field. One that you guys can see that we’ve done is infuse our offensive team with even more talent. More guys that can make football plays. If a guy can make a play, I want him on this team. Because that’s the name of the game, you gotta go out and make plays. We have guys that can make plays; the Jacoby Fords, the Louis Murphys, the Darrius Heyward-Beys. Those guys can make plays but I am still searching for anybody that can help this team win, I’m looking for them and this guy can.”

Running back and return specialist not a need but drafting Taiwan Jones

“How do you pass up a guy that can make plays like that? As I keep saying, you find a special talent, a guy that can score touchdowns as often and as fast as he can, and if he is sitting there, it’s hard to pass up those kinds of guys. I wouldn’t pass him up and we didn’t pass him up. I mean, he’s on our football team. This guy is a tremendous, tremendous football player and he is something special. So when you talk about need, need sometimes is important and I think we addressed those needs but also just the talent alone, you cannot pass up a guy that can make a play on your football team. Especially when they’re sitting on that board.”

Differences between Van Dyke and Chekwa

“Both of them can play corner but one’s a little bigger than the other as far as weight’s concerned. They both run extremely well. One’s in the 4.2’s, the other in the 4.3’s. One will play right and the other will play left, that’s obvious. But they’re guys who demonstrate the characteristics that we look for. They can play man coverage, they can get up in the line of scrimmage with some very good receivers that we’re gonna face in our division. They can line up with the big guys and obviously that’s the question that you guys have, ‘can he really line up with Vincent Jackson and go play the guy’ well that’s yet to be seen. But we’re going to coach this guy, again I have two of the best secondary coaches in football in Rod Woodson and Kevin Ross and we’re going to get these young men ready to play.”

Getting playbooks to players during brief period where lockout lifted

“Oh boy, I was trying to get them as much information as I could. Oh man, I don’t know how much we were able to give them before the league said ‘stop’, but I know that we were trying to do everything that we could within the rules to make sure that we got our players the information that they needed.”

NOTE: Tight end Brandon Myers said Friday he didn’t receive a playbook but expected to get one Monday.

If playbook is dramatically different than a year ago

“No, not for the most part. The expectation is different, you know, and how they prepare with that playbook, but there’s no question that our player are… I hope when we come back and we hit the ground, a lot of our guys know exactly where we are and what we’re trying to accomplish on offense, defense, and special teams.”

Comfort level at safety with Huff possibly out of the picture

“I think I feel very comfortable where we are at safety. Obviously I can’t comment on the player you just mentioned because the rules won’t allow me to. But know this, I hope we can get every last one of our players back that are sitting out there because I think they’re good football players. We drafted them, they were here, and we’d love to keep them here.”

If some players are taken off the board regardless of talent if they don’t appear serious enough about football

“There’s no question. Everybody can’t wear the silver and black. Just like everybody can’t wear other teams’ jerseys. We look for specific type of player to play for us. And obviously the measureables are important. We want the guy as big as he can be, as fast as he can be, as agile as he can be. But at the end of the day, he’s got to want to play football. And that’s what it comes down to. You got to like the toughness, the physical nature of this sport, and if you don’t like that, you don’t have a chance to be very successful in this league. All these young men that are on this team this season, and you alluded to last year, and that’s all I can speak to because these are the only two years that I’ve been here, they like to play football. That’s what this is truly all about. You got to want to come to work in this building each and every day and prepare and go to practice and compete and then go out there whether it’s Thursday, Sunday, Monday and play as well as you can to give this organization and team a chance to win.”

Chekwa’s ability to play safety

“He’s like you said a guy that plays in the Big Ten and the Big Ten is known for running teams and all that. But I think he can do anything we need him to do. obviously we’re going to play him at corner. The guy has an unbelievable skill set because he’s a big guy, he’s a physical guy. He can get up in your face and put his hands on you and redirect you and get after you and run. So if wee needed him someplace else we’ll find that out as we move forward. But right now he’s just going to play corner for us.’’

How special teams was helped by draft

“If you take a look at all these players that are on our team, they’re all athletes who can run, who are big-bodied guys who love the game. And I think anytime you put a collection of athletes together like that they have an opportunity to play a multitude of different things. And obviously special teams is a huge part of what we do here. There’s offense, defense and specials teams and I truly feel that guys who can contribute on offense and defense should be able to contribute on special teams, too. Now all won’t based on decision that we make, based on their opportunity and skill set but all these guys have a chance to lineup and contribute. Whether it be the field goal team, whether it be the punt team, whether it be the kickoff team, kickoff return team. All of these guys have a chance to be a part of our special teams.’’

His assessment of this year’s quarterback draft class

“ I think it was a class that had some guys that were good players, the Gabberts, I thought was a tremendous talent. I know Jake Locker went first to Tennessee and obviously he’s very talented. It wasn’t as strong in my opinion as some past years. In my opinion I didn’t see Sam Bradford, I didn’t see Joe Flacco or Matt Ryan. That’s just kind of the way I see it. That’s just my opinion. I just think there were more guys who have an opportunity to ascend and become very good players as you continue to go through the years with them. Obviously the truth for a quarterback is to get on a team that is going to give you an opportunity to showcase your talents and abilities. Most quarterbacks when you’re drafted you don’t get that opportunity sometimes. You get plugged into a system that you’ve never seen. You get plugged in a terminology you’ve never heard of before and it can be difficult for a quarterback. Is this one of the stronger classes that’s been around? I don’t know that. But is it overall as so many guys have gone a pretty good class? I think that’s yet to be determined.’’

Drafting players such as Van Dyke and Gordon with something to prove

“To me that’s the kind of player you want. You want the hungry player who has something to prove, who is interested going out showcasing his talents and his abilities and letting everybody else know you made a mistake. Both of those young men are very eager to show Raider nation, to show our team, their teammates, this organization that we made the correct choice. I truly believe that. I think a hungry player is a good player because they do have something to prove. I’m looking forward to watching these guys compete and play.’’

Demon, spreading the field opens the short field and running game, football 101.

Demon Raider

JLH is gone and I think Nick Miller could be too since we drafted two wide outs….

armond

priest i disagree on the fb. reece sucks as a blocker. i hope tonga can be an effective blocker cuz he is that hybrid hb/fb type that u see the packers use a lot. eece needs to improve his blocking but id love to see a leron mcclain type of back on this squad.

We need swift, catching, WO’s, that threat alone opens so many posibilities to us!

Demon Raider

We have DHB, Murphy, Ford, Schilens, N. Miller, Damola Adeniji, Shaun Bodiford, and JLH on the roster. That is 8 wide outs and we haven’t even hit free agency yet. So, as of right now, we have 10 wide outs. Not like we’re a spread offense, constantly in 5 wide out sets, just slinging the ball everywhere.

SnB Production

Armond,

The running game was not a problem. Plus Reece gives the opponent more to think about. He was great in the pass game.

Demon, We haven’t had an O-Line to protect it. The Slant we were running is more or less a dink and dunk, that is not Raider Football. West Coast is not Raider Football. We tried it, back to Raider Football, sorry it took Al so long to see that!

Demon Raider

Oh, and DMac is a good receiving RB and Zach Miller is still our TE. Rookie Taiwan Jones is also a dual threat RB.

Demon, I see lots of opportunities opening here, Al has done a good job, It’s up to Hue to carry this forward. We don’t know who is coming back, who’s on the block, too many variables, but I’m liking this team being much better this year, If guided right!

Demon Raider

I want that tough, hard-nosed football. But we shouldn’t have drafted WR in this draft when all we have are wide outs 2-4 years into the league. WE need a veteran, not more young guys who need to learn and adjust.

POST-59,8 WIDE-OUTS ON THE ROSTER,NOT 1 SOLID,EVERY DOWN,16 GAME A YEAR RECIEVER AMONG THEM.FORD IS ON THE WAY BUT..

Demon Raider

I think we are moving in the right direction, but what does it say when our ‘veteran’ wide outs are JLH and Shaun Bodiford? Other than those two, our other wide outs were either rookies or second year guys.

Demon, this team is growing young, not old, good thinking, they will be a dominating team for years to come, I’m in!!!!

Demon Raider

@DIRT

My point exactly. Ford and Murphy are the best two we have and they’re only mediocre right now. They could develop into better players. Schilens need to stay healthy. DHB is on the train to Bustville. The other are just practice squad guys. we need a veteran to help mold the young receivers and hopefully DHB from being a bust.

Demon Raider

I have no problem with having a mostly young team, but how can the young guy grow and mature into better players without the proper guidance from legit veterans? Case in point would be Seymour for the DL.

Demon Raider

I know that’s why we have coaches, but a lot of coaches can’t lead by example. With the exceptions being Wiz, Biekert, and Woodson.

DIRT-LOT FOOTBALL

I AGREE DERMON,WELL SAID.HOW MANY CAN U CARRY THOUHG.A TUFF CALL ON WHO 2 SLICE.

This draft is as bad as some claimed nor as great. Wiz is a solid pick. Maybe too soon but hell let’s get him before we lose him. So what if we drafted him a few slots early. It wasnt like a DHB reach imo.

Taiwan Jones is someone that I like. Face it, we dont have a scat back on our roster. Bush, McFadden, Cartright and Bennet are not scat backs. We need a little variation here and dude is a potential homerun hitter so you know Al always want someone like that.

We got 2 Olinemen early. That’s more than any draft I can remember in the past few years. Wished we got some big uglies at the DT positions but oh well. That’s Al for you.

aig-raiders

sorry meant to say NOT as bad.

SnB Production

Al doesn’t focus on run defense….afterthought

aig-raiders

Al believes the QB must go down, even if the rb is taking it to the house. SMH.

I had Deunta Williams as a 3rd or 4th round pick, but I guess his brokwn leg he suffered in the Music City Bowl dropped him

Midwest Fan

When assessing the potential draft strategies of any NFL team, speculations abound. They emanate from the seasoned analyst with expert projections, the casual fan hoping for a flashy player, and from just about everyone in between.

For the 2011 Oakland Raiders, a variety of different draft needs could be heard from voices outside of the organization. Suggestions included bolstering the secondary or adding depth to the offensive line.

Head Coach Hue Jackson was aware of the ideas being discussed for how the Raiders should execute their selections. He respected these opinions, but he and the organization would do whatever was necessary to improve the team; both for the upcoming season and into the future.

“Obviously, there are players missing in some…areas [of this team],” stated Coach Jackson. “And…we’re going to address that as we continue to move forward…Making sure we put the…best players that we can through this draft on our football team is what we’re after.”

That entailed drafting a stalwart to anchor the middle of the offensive line during day two of the 2011 NFL Draft. The Raiders selected center/guard Stefen Wisniewski out of Penn State in the second round as the # 48 overall pick.

Coach Jackson was wholly satisfied with the selection. “Stefen Wisniewski…is a guy that we had targeted…We wanted to address the offensive line and we’ve started that today,” explained the head coach. He’s going to play center for the Oakland Raiders and I’m very excited.”

In the third round of the draft, the Raiders selected defensive back DeMarcus Van Dyke out of the University of Miami with the 81st overall pick. Coach Jackson believed he would greatly strengthen the teams secondary. “[Van Dyke can] cover and run…the characteristics that we’re looking for in our corners,” said Coach Jackson.

The Raiders also executed a trade with the New England Patriots, acquiring an additional third and a fourth round selection. This provided the team with more fortification for the offensive line and speed and play-making ability to the offense.

“We got an opportunity to get two third round draft picks and two fourth round draft picks…Honestly, we nailed it,” explained Coach Jackson.

With the #92 overall pick, the Raiders chose defensive-turned-offensive lineman Joseph Barksdale from LSU. Coach Jackson summed up the newest Raider. “[He’s a] big guy who’s athletic, tough, tenacious, and who loves to play the game and…the offensive line,” said the head coach.

In the fourth round, the team selected defensive back Chimdi Chekwa from Ohio St. as the 113th overall selection. Coach Jackson envisioned him as a capable performer for a variety of different roles. “I think he can do anything we need him to do,” Coach Jackson said. “We are going to play him at corner, [but] the guy has such an unbelievable skill set that, if the need arises, we’ll utilize him at another position.”

The Raiders also selected running back Taiwan Jones out of Eastern Washington in the fourth round. The head coach saw something special in Jones. “How do you pass up a guy that can make plays like that…a guy that can score touchdowns as often and as fast as he can?” asked Jackson to the press.

The Raiders had three more picks – one in the fifth, one in the sixth, and a compensatory selection in the seventh. In that order, the team and Coach Jackson selected speedy wide receiver Denarius Moore of Tennessee, tight end Richard Gordon out of Miami and the multi-position threat in David Ausberry from the University of Southern California.

With that, the 2011 NFL Draft for the Oakland Raiders came to a conclusion. “We took guys that have great character, great integrity, guys who love the silver and black, guys who we think are fantastic football players and have potential to be good, and some guys have the potential to be great, and that’s what we’re going to chase and that’s what we hope to become,” said Coach Jackson. “This organization, this team, is going to become something.”

Midwest Fan

Omitted from the above is that we gave up our 2nd round pick next year to get those addtl picks

SnB Production

Good draft overall….just not thrilled drafting cornerbacks.

J Hill

CB was a clear need.

We were so thin at CB last year that Huff saw time there way more than he should have. With him and Nnamdi leaving, how could you not expect a CB to be taken. Quite frankly, I’m surprised CB was the 2nd rd pick.

J Hill

If Barksdale ends up starting at RT at some point this year, and Jones takes the PR job by the horns, then it was well worth the 2nd rd pick next year. If those guys don’t contribute, then you could say it was a bad move.

The picks were for needs this year though, so you can’t be mad at it.

CJ Legend 34

Overall I give our draft a B. We addressed the defensive line last year this year we focused on the o-line and corners that we did need. I keep hearing complaints about the corners we took but you have to realize if we loose Nnamdi amd Huff we are going to need them. Chris Johnson gets hurt every year getting a little bit older we need to develop corners in our system. By the way I live in Columbus and watched Chekwa all year. One of my favorite Buckeyes. He is a football player. He is aggressive and will make big time plays on the balls.

SnB Production

Jhill,

Losing Nnamdi and Huff underscores the reason NOT to draft CBs.

The Raiders paid Routt and CJ a bunch of money…they are the starters…got McFadden, Ware and so on…..

DBs are generally overrated. Its the front 7.

I like the OL and TE picks and can tolerate the Taiwan Jones pick….

But the DBs won’t help this team and never have helped this team in the past.

Its been about the front 7…rather see them draft a couple of WLBs and a couple of backup NTs

CJ Legend 34

I am so glad Al did not mortgage the whole house this year settting us up for next year with some 1st round picks.

The draft makes sense to me. Hue is setting up his offense bringing in some big WRs, TEs to create some unbalance situations. I like it.

Jones was picked up because of his speed and ability to catch screens. Both Bush and McFadden can get pretty dinged up and you need another RB. With Reece they should be pretty electric.

J Hill

Who is “and so on …”?

There was no one behind the 2 rookies from last year who couldn’t get on the field.

Are you really suggesting we should have stood pat?

CJ Legend 34

SnB I hear you dude but when you play a constant man type coverage like we do you need to keep corners coming in to our system. Very fast cover corners plus this is Woodson’s chance to groom them.

Don’t know about DVD but Checkwa is a good ball player. I like that pick.

Chris Johnson is getting old and I am not a big Routt fan.

CJ Legend 34

J Hill – I am with you even with the two rookies we drafted I am concerned about the corner positions. It takes a corner about three good years to get our system to a point where he coan dominate.

The “so-on” are backup types that can be filled from UFA or other free agents….who’s behind Quentin Groves, Wimbley and John Henderson?

SnB Production

I just think CBs are a dime a dozen. I never understood why Chris Johnson was put in the dog house…and I doubt we will see a significant fall off from Huff (wasted draft pick) or Asomugha to Routt and Johnson.

This team has failed at stopping the run for so long…that we have all forgotten good defense….getting to the QB is the best friend of a secondary.